Composite Technician

Skyeton; Fayetteville (AR); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Skyeton USA Manufacturing is standing up a new aerospace composite manufacturing cell in Fayetteville, NC. We train composite technicians to lay up, bag, post-cure, demold, trim, finish, and sand airframe parts for the Raybird, with six months of mentorship from Ukrainian foremen on the bench.

You will learn the Skyeton wet-layup process on the first US mold, under supervision of the Composites Lead and Manufacturing Engineer, with opportunities to grow as the team scales.

Qualifications

• Must be able to read and follow written work instructions, drawings, and checklists in English.
• Manual dexterity and ability to perform careful hand work across full shift.
• Must pass a pre-employment background check and drug screen, and a respirator-fit medical evaluation.
• Color vision sufficient to identify resin/catalyst color changes and labels.
• Willingness to learn Skyeton wet-layup process from Ukrainian foremen in residence.

Responsibilities

• Lay up fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcements in molds with epoxy resin per instructions.
• Build vacuum bags, apply release film, pull and maintain vacuum to spec.
• Move parts to cure room, record cure-cycle data, follow ramp/soak/cool program.
• Demold, trim flash, and finish surfaces to workmanship standards.
• Assist with in-mold paint prep and post-paint finish when booth is online.
• Maintain mold-release discipline, logs, and storage; follow 5S practices.
• Operate within safety PPE and ESDS/FOD-safe procedures.
• Cross-train across multiple composite operations and support process trials.

Skills

Read and follow instructions

Manual dexterity

Strong work ethic

Attention to safety

Punctuality

Color vision

Willingness to learn

Team collaboration

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

About the role

Skyeton USA Manufacturing is standing up a new aerospace composite manufacturing cell in Fayetteville, NC. We build the airframe parts that go into the Raybird - a long-endurance, fixed-wing unmanned aerial system used by professional operators around the world. The composite cell uses a wet-layup process (no autoclaves, no prepreg) with proven Skyeton molds, tooling, and process documentation that has been running at high volume in Slovakia and Ukraine for more than a decade.

We are hiring composite technicians to lay up, bag, post-cure, demold, trim, finish, and sand the airframe parts that ship in every Raybird. You will be trained on the Skyeton process from the start. For the first six months of production (September 2026 - February 2027), you will work alongside senior composite foremen from our Ukraine operation, who will be in residence in Fayetteville as mentors on the bench. This is an unusual opportunity to learn the craft from experienced practitioners - composite technicians who have built thousands of Raybirds - and to be there from the first part off the first US mold.

The Composites Lead is your supervisor; the Composite Engineer (Manufacturing Engineer) writes the work instructions; the Quality Manager runs the inspections; the Plant Manager runs the plant. You are part of the largest production team in the building.

What you'll do

• Lay up fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcements into molds, wetting out with epoxy resin, per the Skyeton work instructions and the layup checklist.
• Build vacuum bags - peel ply, perforated release film, breather, sealing tape, bag film - pull vacuum, verify and hold vacuum to spec, and track vacuum-leak debug when needed.
• Move parts into and out of the cure room; record cure-cycle data; honor the ramp / soak / cool program.
• Demold parts cleanly; trim flash; sand and finish surfaces to the workmanship standard.
• Assist with in-mold paint preparation (when the paint booth is online) and post-paint finish.
• Maintain mold-release discipline - release agent application, mold storage, in-service mold logs.
• Follow ESD-safe and FOD-safe practices in the layup area.
• Keep a clean, organized, 5S workstation. Restock consumables. Maintain hand tools, vacuum manifolds, and bagging supplies.
• Run mix-and-dispense of resin and catalyst per the work instruction; honor pot life; record mix-batch traceability.
• Wear required PPE every time - safety glasses, hearing protection, organic-vapor cartridge respirator (fit-tested), nitrile or solvent-resistant gloves, Tyvek suit or shop coat, steel-toed footwear.
• Support process trials and first-article builds; communicate clearly with the Composites Lead, the Composite Engineer, and the QA Tech when something does not look right.
• Cross-train across multiple composite operations (layup, bagging, post-cure, demold, trim, finish, sand) so the cell stays resilient through absence, ramp-up, and shift expansion.
• All other duties as assigned by the Composites Lead and Skyeton USA leadership.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent (GED).
• The ability to read and follow written work instructions, drawings, and checklists in English.
• Manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and the patience to do repeatable, careful hand work over a full shift.
• Comfort working in an industrial environment with chemical, dust, and noise hazards, and comfort wearing a fit-tested organic-vapor respirator, gloves, Tyvek, and safety glasses for extended periods.
• Reliable attendance, punctuality, and a strong work ethic. Composite cure cycles do not wait.
• Color vision sufficient to identify resin / catalyst color change, color-coded labels, and surface defects.
• Willingness to learn the Skyeton wet-layup process, including from the Ukrainian foremen in residence during hyper-care (they will operate in English on the floor).
• US person status - US citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee per 22 CFR 120.62 / 15 CFR 772.1.
• Ability to pass a pre-employment background check and drug screen, and to be approved on a respirator-fit-test medical evaluation.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, climb, and crawl for extended periods; ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally.

Strongly preferred (not required)

• Prior experience laying up composite parts (aerospace, marine, wind, automotive, motorsport, or skilled craft / shop work).
• Prior aerospace, marine, or DoD production-floor experience.
• Prior experience working under AS9100, AS9102 first-article inspection, or comparable quality system.
• Trade-school or community-college coursework in composites, materials, machining, fabrication, welding, or auto-body.
• US military veteran experience - especially aviation maintenance, fabrication, or hangar trades.
• Familiarity with the NC / Sandhills / Fort Bragg-area labor market and aerospace / marine / motorsport composite work in the region.

We will train the right person on the Skyeton wet-layup process. Bring a strong work ethic, hand skills, and a willingness to learn the craft - we will teach the rest.

Physical and work-environment requirements

• Most of the shift is spent on your feet at the layup bench, the vacuum-bag station, the post-cure / cure-room interface, the demold table, the trim station, or the finish / sand station.
• Sustained chemical exposure at OSHA-permissible levels: epoxy resin, MEKP catalyst, solvents, paint (when the booth is online).
• Sustained dust exposure during trim, sand, and finish - local exhaust ventilation is in place and PPE is required.
• Ambient layup-area noise from compressors, vacuum pumps, and dust extraction.
• Elevated cure-room temperatures during commissioning and process trials.
• Frequent lifting up to 50 lbs (composite preforms, mold halves, tooling, bagging supplies).
• Climbing, bending, kneeling, and crawling are part of the work - particularly during fuselage shell layup and post-cure handling.
• ESD-safe and FOD-safe practices are required in designated areas.